Sharif Digital Repository

The swift growth of cellular mobile networks in recent years has made voice channels almost accessible everywhere. Besides, data hiding has recently attracted significant attention due to its ability to imperceptibly embed side information that can be used for signal enhancement, security improvement, and two-way authentication purposes. In this regard, we aim at proposing efficient schemes for hiding data in the widespread voice channel of cellular networks. To this aim, our first contribution is to model the channel accurately by considering a linear filter plus a nonlinear scaling function. This model is validated through experiments with true speech signals. Then we leverage on this... 

Exploiting Compressive Sensing (CS) in MIMO radars, we can remove the need of the high rate A/D converters and send much less samples to the fusion center. In distributed MIMO radars, the received signal can be modeled as a block sparse signal in a basis. Thus, block CS methods can be used instead of classical CS ones to achieve more accurate target parameter estimation. In this paper a new method of energy allocation to the transmitters is proposed to improve the performance of the block CS-based distributed MIMO radars. This method is based on the minimization of an upper bound of the sensing matrix block-coherence. Simulation results show a significant increase in the accuracy of multiple... 

In this paper an efficient method is proposed for blind detection of multiuser spread spectrum signal and pseudo noise (PN) length estimation in downlink scenario. This method is based on fluctuating observation of second order statistic (SOS) estimator of received signal; estimating length of spreading code with no need to primary information based on observing second order peaks of correlation estimator is presented. In low SNR, the fading multipath phenomenon especially in length of small codes leads to problem in detecting place of correlation estimator peaks. In this paper besides expanding blind estimation to multiuser environment, by using searching method in updating the length of... 

Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radars offer higher resolution, better target detection, and more accurate target parameter estimation. Due to the sparsity of the targets in space-velocity domain, we can exploit Compressive Sensing (CS) to improve the performance of MIMO radars when the sampling rate is much less than the Nyquist rate. In distributed MIMO radars, block CS methods can be used instead of classical CS ones for more performance improvement, because the received signal in this group of MIMO radars is a block sparse signal in a basis. In this paper, two new methods are proposed to improve the performance of the block CS-based distributed MIMO radars. The first one is a new... 

Proper orientation of walkways, based on regional winds and local shade, provides good control over walkway ventilation. The architecture of the old town of Sirjan had experimentally orientated the city's walkways in such a manner that the shadows in the walkways produced the maximum possible natural ventilation in this hot and dry town. This study has focused on the optimum design of Sirjan city considering a natural ventilation mechanism. At first, a typical walkway with certain geometric parameters is considered. Then, considering the symmetry of the shadows cast in the walkway, the natural ventilation rate is investigated at 7 different angles and at 15° intervals. The problem is modeled... 

Dracocephalum kotschyi essential oils obtained by hydrodistillation (HD), microwave-assisted hydrodistillation (MAHD), and solvent-free microwave extraction (SFME) were investigated by GC-FID (Gas Chromatography-Flame Ionization Detector) and GC-MS (Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry). The percentage of oxygenated compounds was significantly increased from 62.52% in HD to 76.47% in MAHD, and 84.52% in SFME. Conversely, the monoterpene hydrocarbons were decreased from 30.84% in HD to 13.71% in MAHD, and 5.85% in SFME. The main compound in the essential oil obtained by HD is limonene, which accounted for more than 30% of the oil, while the percentage of this compound was reduced to 9.52% in... 

In this paper, a new disk type variable reluctance (DTVR) resolver is introduced. The proposed resolver works based on the sinusoidal variation of the coupling area between stator and rotor. An analytical model based on winding function theory is proposed for the performance analysis of the sensor. Then, the influence of stator slot shape, radial and peripheral slot width, pole numbers, and slot skewing and harmonic injection into the rotor couture on the accuracy of the proposed resolver is examined. The 3-D time stepping finite element method is used to show the effect of optimizations. Finally, the prototypes of the two-pole, four-pole, and eight-pole DTVR resolvers are constructed and... 

Signed graphs are graphs whose edges get signs ±1 and, as for unsigned graphs, they can be studied by means of graph matrices. Here we focus our attention to the largest eigenvalue, also known as the index of the adjacency matrix of signed graphs. Firstly we give some general results on the index variation when the corresponding signed graph is perturbed. Also, we determine signed graphs achieving the minimal or the maximal index in the class of unbalanced unicyclic graphs of order n≥3. © 2019  

Aim: In this study, a nanosponge structure was synthesised with capability of encapsulating curcumin as a model polyphenolic compound and one of the herbal remedies that have widely been considered due to its ability to treat cancer. Methods: FTIR, DSC and XRD techniques were performed to confirm the formation of the inclusion complex of the nanosponge-drug. Results: DSC and XRD patterns showed an increasing stability and a decreasing crystallinity of curcumin after formation of inclusion complex. Encapsulation efficiency was 98% (w/w) and a significant increase was observed in loading capacity (184% w/w). The results of cytotoxicity assessments demonstrated no cell toxicity on the healthy... 

One of the most prevalent problems in drilling industry is lost circulation which causes intense increase in drilling expenditure as well as operational obstacles such as well instability and blowout. The aim of this research is to develop smart systems for estimating amount of lost circulation making able to use appropriate prevention and remediation methods. To obtain this aim, a large data set were collected from 61 recently drilled wells in Marun oil field in Iran to be used for developing relevant models. After that, using the extracted data set consisting of 1900 data subset, intelligent prediction models including decision tree (DT), adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference systems (ANFIS),... 

In this paper, reliability of conventional pulse width modulation buck-boost converter is analyzed, where the effects of duty cycle, input voltage, output power, voltage gain and time duration are evaluated. These analyses are performed in both continuous and discontinuous conduction modes and Markov process model is utilized to obtain the results. In addition, mean time to failure of this converter is obtained with respect to the aforementioned parameters. In this paper, detailed analyses of reliability in buck-boost converter with different evaluation parameters are presented. Moreover, the plots of MATLAB software are prepared to have complete evaluation in each operating state  

Ground improvement techniques are inevitable for weak soils that cannot endure the design load imposed by superstructures. Deep mixing technique (DMT) as one of these methods is promising and effective when a deep soil layer with low bearing capacity is encountered. Such deposits are quite common in the South-west of Iran where the studied site is located. In order to validate the influence of DMT on the enhancement of strength, both in-situ and laboratory tests were conducted. Afterwards, a parametric study was carried out to investigate the influence of key factors including cement content, water–cement ratio, curing time and plasticity index (PI) on the performance of DMT. In summary, a... 

Using a parallel mechanism in the wear test simulators of prosthetic knees provides an easy access to the femoral and tibial components during tests. Moreover, because of its higher accuracy and load capacity, in comparison with serial mechanisms, it allows simulation of heavier tasks, such as climbing stairs, to be performed. This paper describes a new 3 Degree of freedom (DoF) spatial 2T1R (T: Translational DoF; R: Rotational DoF) parallel mechanism, for reproducing the force and motion of the tibial component of the knee prostheses in a wear test simulator. Kinematics and dynamics analysis of the mechanism indicated that it can satisfy the required DoFs, workspace and load capacity... 

Ground improvement techniques are inevitable for weak soils that cannot endure the design load imposed by superstructures. Deep mixing technique (DMT) as one of these methods is promising and effective when a deep soil layer with low bearing capacity is encountered. Such deposits are quite common in the South-west of Iran where the studied site is located. In order to validate the influence of DMT on the enhancement of strength, both in-situ and laboratory tests were conducted. Afterwards, a parametric study was carried out to investigate the influence of key factors including cement content, water–cement ratio, curing time and plasticity index (PI) on the performance of DMT. In summary, a... 

A mild, convenient, and practical one-pot procedure for the direct synthesis of dithiocarbamates has been developed by condensation of amines, CS2, and a Michael acceptor, under solvent-free conditions at room temperature in good to excellent yields. © Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart  

Heaters are one of the central parts of natural gas reduction stations using turboexpanders to prevent the formation of hydrate and corrosion failure. This study intends to design a fired heater by applying a combustion sub-model to derive an optimal model for this kind of application. This model is developed to accurately consider all subsections of the fired heater namely radiation, convection, and shield sections, as well as flue gas composition, and its volume. Within this context, a multi-objective optimization is employed to identify the optimal design of the gas-fired heater in the natural gas reduction station for the Ramin power plant case study. The total economic and environmental... 

Magnesium (Mg) and its alloys have proved promising as biodegradable candidates for the repair of bone tissue. Despite the encouraging bio-related properties of Mg, its high corrosion rate in contact with body fluids still presents a major challenge. An efficient approach to address this issue is to provide a protective coating on Mg. The present research evaluates, for the first time, in vitro bioactivity and biocompatibility of a novel multifunctional composite coating based on poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) biopolymer and bioactive glass (BG) particles on Mg-based implant. Electrophoretic deposition (EPD) was utilized to obtain this coating from a bi-component suspension. Coatings’... 

In aircraft wings, aileron mass parameter presents a tremendous effect on the velocity and frequency of the flutter problem. For that purpose, we present the optimization of a composite design wing with an aileron, using machine-learning approach. Mass properties and its distribution have a great influence on the multi-variate optimization procedure, based on speed and frequency of flutter. First, flutter speed was obtained to estimate aileron impact. Additionally mass-equilibrated and other features were investigated. It can deduced that changing the position and mass properties of the aileron are tangible following the speed and frequency of the wing flutter. Based on the proposed... 

This article proposes a scheme for balancing the voltage of series-connected insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs), which is also very effective under short-circuit conditions. An optimized clamp-mode snubber is proposed, including an active-driver to balance the currents of the IGBTs during short-circuit, which in turn allows for a considerable reduction of the snubber capacitance. The approach is proven to be effective under short-circuit conditions by a maximum of 55 V voltage increment and a negligible difference in the current values. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is demonstrated through simulations in PSPICE software and experimental tests performed at 2 kV. ©... 

This study aims to 3D print titanium alloy constructs incorporating gradient of porosities, from the fully dense core to the porous outer surface. Gradient porous specimens were prepared using selective laser melting (SLM). Fully dense specimens fabricated by SLM were used as the control group. Characterization of samples was done using X-ray tomography, uniaxial compression testing, and optical and scanning electron microscopes. The biocompatibility of fabricated samples was investigated using human periodontal ligament stem cells via assessment of cell attachment, viability, and proliferation by direct and indirect assays. The data were analyzed using ANOVA and Tukey’s post hoc test....